Goodbye

So, I've decided to shut this blog down.  I rarely use it.  If you'd like to still follow me, look at my Lucy Rita's World blog.  I post more there.  Thanks.

Trade Show update

Hello all -

Sorry it's been so long since I've written on here.  I got so wrapped up on getting the job done, that I forgot to keep writing.  That is a shame because I love writing so much.  I will try and update you on my upcoming trade shows as they happen.  And I hope to see you at one in the near future. 

Happy travels!

Mid-America Trucking Show

Well, another year has come and gone. I would like to extend a big thank you to all those attendees and exhibitors that stopped by our booth and spun our prize wheel. And a special thank you to the people that worked with me, our agents, Kelvin Locklear of Outcast Kustoms and the Midnight Trucking Radio group. It's because of all of you that the show was such a success for us this year. I look forward to working with all of you again next year.

It was a ton of work, but we were able to squeeze in some fun at night. We had a ball in downtown Louisville. We stayed at the Hyatt near 4th st. This hotel was great! You get a lot for the money. I highly recommend it to anyone coming into the area. If you've never been to downtown Louisville, you must go to the 4th Street Live area. There are a bunch of great restaurants and bars to hang out in. I highly recommend the Irish Pub at the corner. I felt immediately at ease walking into this dimly lit bar filled with beautiful dark wood architecture, Irish decorating, and all the pints you can drink. And the musical duo that played wasn't bad either. Unfortunately I never got their names.

That's about it for this one. See everyone at next year's show!

MO Dump Truck Show

Sorry for the delay in posting about this trade show. Life has been kinda crazy. This was a good show for us. While the attendance was very low, we were able to meet some great local people. Word of advise for anyone flying into Columbia, MO, DON'T! We had nothing but trouble with this tiny little airport. I'll just say is was a very bad experience. My suggestion is for anyone coming to this area to fly into Kansas City or St Louis. You'll have to drive a bit, but it's worth it. Trust me.

Next Week...

Next week, March 5-6, we'll be heading to Columbia, MO. Anyone in the area, stop in to the MO Dump Truck Show and spin our prize wheel for your chance at some fun prizes.

March 25-27 is the Mid-America Trucking Show, the largest trucking show in the U.S. So, if you're in the Louisville, KY area, swing by.

Midwest Truck Show

Ahh, Peoria, so cold. I'll start by telling you the show was relatively slow compared to last year. I'm hoping that's due to the economy and not a lack of interest in this region.

The second day of the show was a bit busier than the first day, but still very slow in comparison to prior years. I'm curious to see the attendee numbers. It didn't appear to be any smaller exhibitor wise though, so that may be a good sign.

I didn't venture out much in Peoria this year. There was a lot of wind and snow most of the trip. Luckily the hotel I was staying in, the Holiday Inn, had a Bennigan's restaurant in it, so I had good food. And I have to say most of the staff there was extremely friendly and helpful.

Sorry this one is so short this time. Not a lot to tell you. I'll do better at the next couple of shows. Next up, the MO Dump Truck Show in March! See you there!

Conex WI Show

So, last week was the Conex show in West Allis, WI. I have to tell you, I'm from Cleveland, so I'm used to the cold. But the cold there was a whole new league of cold for me. The wind chill was so low, that one morning my thumb was literally frozen for about a half an hour from walking with my coffee from the car to the expo center. WOW!

Aside from the cold, I was pleasantly surprised by how nice and fun the locals were. I don't know if I encoutered one single rude person, except maybe while driving. Then again, I do have a little road rage in me, so that could have been me.

The trade show started out with a huge bang! We were so swamped the first 2-4 hours, that we didn't have time to breathe. The wheel was constantly spinning. After that, it died down considerably. The second day was also very slow. However, we did receive a ton of insurance inquiries. So, I'm sure we'll be back. I took some pictures at this show. If you'd like to see them, I post them on my flickr account. www.flickr.com/luciascibona. Just look for the trade show. I'll have the uploaded later today or tomorrow.

Also, Setup and teardown was pretty easy thanks to the great labor staff with Valley Expo's. I don't usually plug the show staff, usually because we get charged so much for 2 hours of work, but these guys were great. So, thanks!

I would also like to give a shout out to my girl Roxanne. She was our official restaurant planner for the trip and she found some great places. The first day we were there together, we ate at a place called Mo's Irish Pub. The food was ok, but the atmosphere was amazing. I felt like I was sitting in a little castle in Ireland. Later that day we ate at a place called Swig. It was located in the historic 3rd ward of Milwaukee. I loved the look and feel of this place. It was modern, yet warm and cozy too. Except for the draft coming in from the window we were seated by. The food was great and the service was good.

The next evening, we decided to check out a local vegan/vegetarian/raw restaurant called Cafe Manna. This was by far my favorite place we ate at. The food was amazing and the staff was so helpful. They even offered free baba ghanouj and freshly made pita chips when we sat down! Anyone that really knows me, knows two of my favorite things are hummus and baba ghanouj. Yumm! One of the customers even welcomed us to Milwaukee. It was such a fun experience. And let me tell you, we were so stuffed afterward. So much food!

The last night we were there, we decided to try something very different. We found a little Louisianna style restaurant called Maxie's Southern Comfort. The parking for this place was somewhat of a challenge. And once we walked in, we noticed the place was so packed! Of course we realized that was mostly because it was ladies night. Once we were seated upstairs, they brought a basket full of freshly made cornbread. It was amazing. We both ordered off their vegetarian menu, which had a lot of options. That was surprising. The food was spicy but good. Everything had a little kick to it. All in all, I would definitely recommend trying it.

So, that's about it. We saw some great things in Milwaukee. If it wasn't so cold, I would consider moving there. :)